The dumbing down of America is a scary thing

The Way I See It

by DON WEST

I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree, but the light is still shining. I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide, and my reading skills are above average. Corporate America, you have not fooled me, except on the rare occasion, and I do realize that when I buy that bag of chips and open it, it will be only about half full of chips. Yes, I realize that you sell by weight and not size, and you may be fooling a large (and apparently getting larger) segment of the population into thinking they are getting more for their money than is actually true, but I am onto you. The dumbing down of America does not apply to all, and your attempt to deceive the buying public doesn’t sit well with me.

My latest contention is to let you know that there are certain brands of bath soap, which I will no longer buy. If I want a bar of soap the size of a saltine cracker, I will check into Motel 6 and enjoy it. A slice of cheese is now the thickness of the wrapper, and the toilet paper roll lasts about four trips. If the automobile that I want to buy is worth $10,000, please put the price on it and I will decide whether or not I want it. Don’t put a higher price then try to entice me with $7,000 off the price. If you want to sell me a pound of meat, put the price on it that you need to and I will decide whether or not to buy it. Don’t shave the size to 12 ounces and make it appear to be a pound. That is deceptive advertising and I will take my business elsewhere. You’ve done it with sugar, coffee, flour, and nearly every item on the grocery shelf.

Integrity is defined as an adherence to a code of moral principles. You won’t find it on the shelf at the local convenience store. It should be taught in the home, reinforced in church, school, and the workplace, but integrity seems to have lost its way in America. I have recently encountered a number of people who were scheduled to meet with me at an appointed time and place but just didn’t show. No calls, no apologies, just rudeness. Apparently “integrity” is not in their vocabulary.

Of course, who can blame the children for lack of common social skills? They are being indoctrinated by trash media, including reporting of our government affairs, where politicians will promise you anything and deliver nothing. It’s deception and lack of integrity or just downright lying. Call it what you will. Recognize it for what it is. But I won’t accept it and will continue to do battle.

Each time I come across another example of the above, I contact the manufacturer and lodge my complaint, just as I have about talking to machines when I need customer support on a product I have purchased. You will notice that our voices can be heard and some will adhere to the pressure applied. Change may be slow to come, but keep the pressure on because they do pay attention to your dollars. If you have a problem with something, let them know about it. If you don’t, and you keep doing the same thing you have always done, you will always keep getting the same results.